A waiter once scolded me for dressing my 5 month old in blue. He was offended that I was "confusing her." (No, dude, that's just you.) Funnily enough, the blue she was wearing was one of her few "actual girl outfits": pastel with sparkles, ruffles, and a bow.

That baby will be four this week. She now wears pink probably five days of seven, usually ( Read more... )

Snow day #14 in my district tomorrow. The moms are gathering torches and pitchforks. Superintendant beware! :p

Stopped on State St. to push a car that was stuck half in, half out of the road, in the muck left by the snowplow. I had both kids in the car, which is on one hand a reason not to leave my car idling on a busy road. On the other hand, setting them an example of helpfulness is a compelling reason to put on my hazards and do the right thing.

The car ( Read more... )

You may remember my recent post about my MIL's "ocelot/dog/Egyptian god." Here it is in her own words.

https://www.facebook.com/priscilla.shaw.79/posts/419868618145089:0

Penny is four months old today. The time flies!

She's still a great sleeper, though night nursings have increased. She takes three naps a day still and insists that her bedtime is 6:00 (wake after 7am).

She had the most ungodly blistery rash (mostly diaper, but also up her whole torso) for werks and weeks. Turns out she's dairy sensitive. I am not a ( Read more... )

My friends are losing their baby today. They're 19 weeks pregnant. Water broke a day and a half ago, fever started last night.

They've spent the last week talking to baby and feeling his kicks in reply, but it's another two weeks to even the barest chance of viability.

I've never lost a baby, but I've felt those flutters in my belly that tell me a ( Read more... )

Norah's presents are a new raincoat (I shelled out for the froggie Hello Kitty, but it's practical and will be handed down to her sister), a yoga mat so she can "exercise" alongside whichever parent is using the one we already own, and Candyland. In her stocking are temporary tattoos, watercolors, paintbrushes, and training scissors. It runs close ( Read more... )

We don't do Santa in my house. Our moms raised us both to believe it's wrong to lie to a child. I've heard the whole exciting-mystery-and-wonder gambit, and if that's how your family rolls, then rock on, dude.

And I'm cool with having the diversity talk with my kid: "Other families believe X, and it's totally not cool to call them out." Don't go ( Read more... )

My jihad is my temper. I must work hard every day to avoid tantrums. It will never be easy, and sometimes I will fail. But I must continue to struggle.

Yesterday afternoon, P got up from a nap. I nursed her, then plonked her in the baby swing so I could attend to N. P was happy, so I did some housework. This continued 45 minutes, until she fell asleep again and napped another hour-plus.

Today, she has skipped the mid-afternoon meal and, as far as I can tell, the entire awake period. She's been in ( Read more... )